King Henry VI

The only son of King Henry V, he was born at Windsor Castle on 6 December 1421. Eight months later, his father died. The King presided over Parliament on his mother´s lap and was crowned on 6 November 1429 at Westminster Abbey, a month before he turned eight years old. Due to a mental illness, Richard, the Duke of York, reigned as Protector from 1453-55. The same year, the "War of the Roses" broke out between different family-branches, the Lancastrians (whose emblem was the red rose), and the Yorkists (whose emblem was te white rose). The Yorkists were successful for a time between 1461-70, when King Henry was deposed and Edward IV sat on the throne, but Henry returned for half a year until his death on 4 May 1471.